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December 7, 2012

Downtown church to turn into a shelter for homeless youth

Photo credit: Amanda Stephen, Centretown News
Photo credit: Amanda Stephen, Centretown News

The basement of a downtown church should be transformed soon into a small, temporary homeless shelter for youth after a city committee recently approved a zoning change to permit the charitable outreach initiative.

Ottawa’s planning committee agreed to permit the First Baptist Church, at 140 Laurier Ave. W., to open overnight accommodation for homeless youth in the city, just in time for the coldest temperatures of the year.

Restoring Hope Ministries, a small organization made up of three men, is planning to run the project in church’s lower floor, providing food, beds and activities for six homeless youth from Friday at 9 p.m. to Saturday at 9 a.m.

Jason Pino, one of the directors of the initiative, says the church is in a strategic location, close to where all many young people hang out but, at the same time, far enough away that it gives the youth the opportunity to get away from places where unsavory activities can take place.

“We thought it was the perfect location,” Pino says.

The program aims to be the first of its kind in Ottawa, a temporary shelter that is fully financed and run by volunteers with donated items.

“It’s a great community initiative,” says Pino. “We can’t do it all ourselves, but together we can share what we have.”

Spots at the shelter will be allotted on a first-come, first-served basis, but Pino says those who can’t be accommodated will at least be able to get out of the cold and get help from volunteers who can call around the city to find somewhere else to stay.

Pino and his partners plan to begin by providing accommodation to male youth only, but they hope to include young women as their initiative grows. Initially, they say, it would be too complicated to provide accommodation for both female and male youth in the same, small space.

The thought is that providing youth with somewhere to stay among members of their own age group will provide a sense of community and belonging.

Pino says he has a lot of experience with homeless youth in Ottawa. He and one of his partners, Michael Brum, have been leading community outreach projects together for years, and still hand out sandwiches and emergency items to the homeless, especially trying to help youth.

Over the years, they noticed that a lot of young people living on the streets were being turned away from packed shelters and ended up sleeping outside, or in situations that could be dangerous.

Says Pino: “We know that there are some spaces available that are designated for youth, but it just seemed that the need was greater than the amount of spaces that were available . . . After a while we had just had enough of seeing it so often.”

Pino says that’s when he and Brum decided to pursue Restoring Hope, bringing in a friend, Clive Good, to help make it a reality.

The church’s minister, Scott Kindred-Barnes, says there are still things to be addressed in the building to make sure the planned shelter space is up to code, but he noted that getting everything approved by the city was a major leap forward.

“Hopefully, what will happen is that this will redress the problem of homeless youth in this city — that’s the hope,” he says. “There’s no guarantee of that, but let’s hope.”

Though the contract has yet to be signed, the church has worked with Pino’s group throughout the process and is very supportive of the initiative, says Kindred-Barnes.

“A lot of people just want to do something and help,” says Pino, “and we’re all sort of gathering our resources together and making it happen. It’s awesome to be a part of.”

This article originally appeared in the Centretown News
Friday, 07 December 2012
By Angela Stairs

View original article

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2 months ago

November update: Thank you to everyone who has been reaching out to us during this time, we appreciate your ongoing support. We are currently in need of Spray Nine cleaning solution for sanitizing tables etc, Polisporin and hydrogen peroxide for our First Aid Kit. In addition, we have been informed that some stores will no longer carry plastic cutlery/cups etc starting early 2021 so we are currently looking to increase our backstock of these items as we will need to continue using them while the pandemic in ongoing.
Last but not least, we are still looking for meals (10-12 portions) for Nov. 13, 17, 21 and 24. Please comment below, send a DM or email nicole@restoringhope.ca if you are able to help.
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Hi everyone, with United Way campaigns underway at many different offices across Ottawa, just a reminder that currently the only way we can receive funding through the United Way is if donors follow a very specific process for their payroll deduction. If giving by automatic deduction via United Way is your preferred way of giving, please follow the process outlined here (see third option): https://restoringhope.ca/main/give/. Thank you for your consideration and generosity. Please share with others who might be willing to help in this way. ... See more

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2 months ago
Timeline Photos

"Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!" Psalm 107:1

Today we are grateful for First Baptist Church. Not only do they continue to provide the space for our ministry, but they also hosted a special Thanksgiving collection of food and food-related items for the youth.
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2 months ago

Real conversation with a youth: Last night we had some recently housed youth come by to pick up some stuff they left behind and we also gave them one of the handmade blankets. As they discussed with another youth they learned he too had found housing. The first youth turned to me and said: "Soon you'll have no one here". I thought to myself if only that were true and told him there are always some new kids who will come. I went to open the door. He took one look at the youth who walked in and told me I'm right. I then explained that we usually see waves of youth come through. He responded: "Like Covid?" 🤣 ... See more

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3 months ago
Timeline Photos

Thank you, Trish B. for making this special Thanksgiving meal happen. One of the youth said it was just like his mom used to make and another had at least three servings. Staff did some taste testing too. Everyone went to bed well-fed. ... See more

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Guided by the Biblical principle of “loving our neighbours”, the mission is to provide physical, spiritual, emotional and mental supports for the complex needs of youth experiencing homelessness in Ottawa.

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